Over the years she’s spent as an academic, biotech scientist, mom and aspiring writer, Menlo Park resident Roshni Madhvani has long been a fan of chai tea and bookstores.
But as someone who was born in India and grew up in Los Angeles, she also struggled to find chai locally that compared with what she grew up drinking. It often contained more milk and sugar than she preferred.
“Sometimes I just want that comfort of having a nice cup of chai,” she says.
So she started her own chai business, which so far has involved a series of pop-ups at local bookstores and catering events.
A few factors came together to inspire her to start the chai business she’d long talked with her husband about opening. She was feeling burnt out in her corporate job, and saw a market for the drink, prepared traditionally. On a visit to Zareen’s in Palo Alto, she noticed that plenty of other people were there not only for its food, but its free chai (now $1). And she found willing hosts for her tea pop-ups at local bookstores, the first of which was Redwood City’s Fireside Books, which opened earlier this year.
“I’ve always been an avid reader, and there are a lot of indie bookstores that don’t have cafes,” she says.
The Chai Lab, a pop-up founded by Roshni Madhvani, serves up creative chai blends at Peninsula bookstores and catering events. (Courtesy Roshni Madhvani)
She started her business officially in January, and uses her science background — plus her curiosity, drive to explore and willingness to fail — to experiment with and develop new recipes, she says. She recently tried to make a version of banana chocolate chai that didn’t go well at first, but she’s eager to keep tweaking and iterating on the recipe.
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However, her recipes for cardamom rose, ginger mint, masala, lavender, lemon and hazelnut chai are all finalized and part of her rotating menu options she curates for her pop-ups and catering gigs. She also plans to expand next with a mobile truck. Her next events are:
5:30 p.m., Aug. 5, Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real #100, Menlo Park; at a Jane Austen trivia night
11 a.m., Aug. 9, Books Inc., Town and Country Village, 855 El Camino Real #74, Palo Alto, at Romance Books Day
“It’s a dream come true to be able to have a business in a bookstore,” she says. “It’s so much fun for me.”
Details: Go to thechailab.biz for the latest updates.
